In recent years, use of mobile communications devices for voice telephone services, email or text messaging services and even multi-media service has become commonplace, among mobile professionals and throughout the more general consumer population. Mobile service provided through public cellular or PCS (personal communication service) type networks, particularly for voice telephone service, has become virtually ubiquitous across much of the world. In the USA, for example, competing public networks today provide mobile communications services covering most if not all of the geographic area of the country.
In addition to public networks, similar wireless technologies have provided relatively small scale networks for enterprise applications, typically offering wireless service analogous to private branch exchange (PBX) type service. Such a smaller scale private system includes several base stations, similar to but scaled down from those used in the public networks, in combination with a private circuit switch or more recently an Internet Protocol (IP) router or network, for providing communications between devices and with external networks. U.S. Pat. No. 6,970,719 to McConnell et al. and US application publication no. 2005/0059390 to Sayers et al. disclose examples of such private wireless cell phone networks. Although sometimes referred to as an “indoor cellular network” or “indoor system,” such enterprise systems need not be literally indoors and for example may offer coverage across an entire campus area. Alternatively, such an enterprise cellular communication system may be referred to as a “pico-cell” system, with the outdoor public cellular communication system covering a wider area being referred to as a “macro-cell” system.
As broadband IP connectivity to homes and offices has become more common, and the speeds of packet-switched communications equipment and the speed of processors have increased, a variety of applications have emerged that utilize IP packet transport as an alternative bearer for voice communications. Generally, such applications are referred to as voice-over-packet services, however, the common forms based on Internet Protocol (IP) are referred to as “Voice over IP” or “VoIP” services. Although originally developed for wireline network transport through the Internet and through wireline intranets, VoIP services are now migrating to the wireless domain. Pico cell systems, which use IP routing or frame switching for IP transport, utilize VoIP technology to support the voice services.
As an extension of these developments/deployments into the customer premises, particularly for residential or small business applications, equipment manufacturers have recently begun offering versions of pico cell devices (sometimes alternately referred to as “femto” cell devices), for home or small business installation. In examples of these most recently developed pico cell systems, each device comprises a base transceiver system (BTS) forming a compact base station equipped with VoIP capability and an IP interface, for example, for connection to a digital subscriber line (DSL) modem or to a cable modem. The equipment forming the pico cell unit of this type may be referred to as an IP-BTS. One such unit in a home or small business, for example, would allow mobile station users in or near the premises to make and receive calls via the existing broadband wireline service from the customer's Internet Service Provider (ISP).
It has been suggested that the deployment of pico cells will be particularly advantageous to a carrier as a way to improve service of the carrier's macro network in customer premises locations where the macro network service is less than optimum. For example, if a mobile station user may have weak coverage at his or her residence, installation of an in the user's home effectively extends macro network coverage into that home in a manner that substantially improves the customer's experience using the carrier's network. At present, plans therefore are for the carrier(s) to distribute (sell or lease) the IP-BTS pico cell equipment to their public network customers.
However, the deployment strategy outlined above assumes the pico cell works with a regular mobile station that is similarly operable through the carrier's macro network. To a regular mobile station, the BTS of the pico cell appears like a normal base station of the macro network, and the network treats the communication service obtained through the pico cell much like any other service for the mobile station through a macro base station. Although service differentiation and competition with landline service have been proposed as possible justifications for widespread pico cell deployments, at present, there is no technique or mechanism to sufficiently distinguish mobile station operation through an affiliated or ‘home’ designated pico cell as might allow service differentiation between limited service coverage under such a pico cell from public mobile coverage via the macro network.